Ask a Brewer: Monday Night’s Peter Kiley

We get asked all sorts of questions about what it’s like to make beer and work for a brewery, so today we’re sitting down with our head brewer guy, lab director, and ironic wine snob, Peter Kiley to have him answer a few of your most burning questions.

Monday Night: How do you go about getting into the brewing industry?

Peter Kiley: There are a few things that you can do to get into the brewing industry. The first is to learn as much as you can independently, which means homebrewing A LOT. The second is to get involved in the beer community and get in the mix. Attend beer festivals, visit breweries and simply reach out to brewers who are already in the field. The third is to make your resume stellar, get it out there and search for brewery internship opportunities to get involved. Also, make sure that you save a lot of money beforehand, because whatever job you have before brewing, will pay more. Although brewing pays very little, the reward is incredible. You get to make an impact on your community doing something that you enjoy. Trust me, there isn’t anything else out there like it. And my last piece of advice is to never give up.

MNB: What is your favorite beer to brew?

PK: My favorite beer to brew is Drafty Kilt, our Scotch Ale. I like it because it’s challenging, and I know that people really enjoy it in the market. Trust me when I say that there isn’t anything better than smelling Drafty Kilt at 5 a.m. during a brew day.

MNB: What is the worst beer name you’ve ever thought of?

PK: The worst name that I’ve thought of for a beer was for a Milk Stout called Pump N’ Dump. (Editor’s Note: We agree. This is one of the worst beer names ever.)

MNB: What beers are you most excited about that are coming out this year?

PK: I’m really excited that we get to re-launch two of our most popular beers from our Black Tie Series for our anniversary party in August: Bed Head (Imperial Coffee India Pale Ale) and Gun Show (Belgian-style Golden Ale). The cool thing about these beers is that they may only be featured in the tasting room and might not make it out into the market.

MNB: It’s your last meal. What is it and what do you pair it with?

PK: That’s an easy one, it’s a cheese pizza. And I’d pair it with another cheese pizza. BUT, if I had to pair it with a beer, that beer would be the first beer I ever homebrewed.

Do you have a question you’d like to see answered by a Monday Night Brewing brewer? Submit your question in the comment section below or send us an email: askabrewer@mondaynightbrewing.com

Thanks for reaching out Tim! And yes, we do aerate our wort before pitching. Also, our target pitch rate for ales is 750K per milliliter of wort per degrees Plato of the beer. Hope this answers your question!